Did you have Miles Killebrew, Elijah Riley, and Eric Rowe playing meaningful snaps at safety in Week 16 on your 2023 Steelers "bingo" card?
In Saturday's game against the Bengals, that's the reality of the situation Teryl Austin's defense is in.
Minkah Fitzpatrick was ruled out by Mike Tomlin Monday with his knee injury sustained last Saturday against the Colts. Keanu Neal has been on injured reserve and has zero sign of returning any time soon, potentially for the rest of the season, with a rib injury. Damontae Kazee's suspension for hitting Colts receiver Michael Pittman for the remainder of the regular season was upheld by the NFL Wednesday evening, though he would be able to return if the Steelers eke into the postseason.
This game against the Bengals is as "must-win" as it could get with respect to the playoff picture. These replacements will have to be major reasons why the Steelers keep the season alive.
Rowe confirmed to me Thursday he has been taking firs-team reps at safety in practices this week. The 31-year-old has bounced around three teams but has 56 games of starting experience under his belt.
"Just preparing for safety," Rowe said. "That's the role. What ever game plan schemes that we've got up, they told me just to prepare for safety. Free, strong, it doesn't matter. I've run both. Just to be prepared or those roles. ... I've been getting reps with the ones."
Killebrew played in 11 snaps against the Colts, though his bread and butter is made on special teams and he will remain a major player in that facet. Riley has played in 10 games this season but is coming off of injured reserve with an ankle issue.
Austin said the process of figuring out who will get snaps at safety would be determined by Friday. Trenton Thompson has missed two practices with a neck injury, which helped prompt the re-addition of Jalen Elliott to the practice squad this week.
"I think if you had your normal guys that you started with and had a lot of reps there you could do a lot more different things," Austin said Wednesday. "I think when you don't you have guys that maybe have limited experience back there, I think you kind of tailor things a little bit more, a little bit tighter in what you do, and the things do you with it. I don't think we'll have as much or as many different things, but we'll have enough. Just won't have as many."
Riley said he has prepared at safety, the nickel, and dime cornerback spots in preparation for Saturday.
"I feel I'm pretty interchangeable, so wherever I'm needed I want to be able to make it happen," Riley said. "... This is, one, a division rival. Two, a big week for us keeping playoff hopes alive. Communication is going to have to be at an A-plus level, and we're going to have to execute as well."
There's also Patrick Peterson, who Austin said he prefers to keep at cornerback. Peterson has played in 69 snaps at safety and has lined up in the box on 95 instances this season. Austin considered Peterson a "slash" player who can rover just about anywhere on the back end.
"I'm not looking at it right now," Austin said of a full-time move for Peterson to safety. "Obviously, I think he could do it. That's something a lot of those guys do because they're good football players, smart football players, so they can transition from outside to inside and see the game. Because you see the game differently outside and inside. For some guys that's a hard switch. But for a guy like Pat and obviously Rod (Woodson), those guys can make it because they're really good football players and they see the big picture of the game."
The Colts amassed 372 yards Saturday, and the Bengals just rallied for 378 including 298 through the air in their win over the Vikings last week.
They are likely not going to have Ja'Marr Chase Saturday as he recovers from a separated shoulder, but Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd just combined for 114 yards and two touchdowns on six receptions in that Vikings game, while Chase added four catches for 64 yards.
"Whatever they need, all hands on deck. That's what I've been told," Killebrew told me. "We're running thin but at the end of the day we're all professionals, I feel we're all duly prepared to what we need to do. We're just going to go out there and get it done."
